Dirigible automobile-headlight.



L. O. THOMPSON (K; J. A. GARRIS. DIRIGIBLE AUTOMOBILE HEADLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED 0CT.29,1914. 1 133 619 Patented Mar.30,1915.

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' SMQIJQMILOZS L.C.TH0MP50N w 3& 3. Q. QEDEYVQS w LEE C. THOMPSON AND JAMES A. GARE-IS, OF ALBION, PENNSYLVANIA.

DIRIGIBLE AUTOMOBILE-HEADLIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. so, 1915.

Application filed October 29, 1914. Serial No. 869,229.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEE C. THOMPSON and JAMEs A. GARRIs, both citizens of the United States, residing at Albion, 1n the county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dirigible Automobile-Head lights, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in d1r1g1ble lamps for automobiles and like vehicles, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby the lamps may be caused to turn laterally as the vehicle is steered to the right or to the left and may also be swung up or down as desired. p

A further object of the invention is to provide a dirigible lamp of this character which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which can be readily mounted upon a motor vehicle without interfering with the usual operation thereof, and which admitsof thelamps being tilted vertically so that the light may be either thrown straight ahead or down upon the road directly in front of the vehicle.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully appear as the description procoeds, the novel features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims.

'For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be hadto the following description and accompanying drawings, in which z v Figure 1 is a top plan View of a portion of the chassis of a motor vehicle, showing the dirigible lamps mounted thereon, the lamps being shown by full lines in the position assumed when the vehicle is moving ahead in a straight line, and by dotted lines in the position assumed when the vehicle is being turned. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same with portions broken away and shown ing therefor, portions being shown in section. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of one of the lamps and the mounting therefor. Fig.

cated in all the views ofthe drawings by the same reference characters.

For the purpose of illustration the dirigible lamps are shown as mounted upon a conventional motor vehicle chassis. The numerals 1 designate the side bars of the chassis, 2 the front springs, 3 the front axle which is secured to the springs 2, 4: the front wheels, 5 the spindles upon which the front wheels are mounted, 6 the spindle arms, 7 the spindle arm connecting rod, 8 the steering post, 9 the steering post arm, and 10 the steering post connecting rod. These parts may be of any conventional or suitable construction, and all parts not necessary to show the dirigible lamps and manner of mounting the same have been omitted,

The lamps .11 may be of any suitable construction and are each mounted upon the forked upper end 12 of a standard 13. The lower end of each of the standards 13 is hinged at 14 to the upper endof a vertical shaft 15 which is suitably mounted upon the chassis so as to turn about a vertical axis. It will thus be obvious that by rotating the vertical shaft 15 the lamp can be turned to the right or to theleft, while by swinging the standard 13 about its hinged connection with the vertical shaft 15'the lamp may be swung up and down. stance the lower end of the Vertical shaft 15 is shown as terminating in a head 16 which is received within a hollow bearing cup 17 rigidly applied to the. side bar 1. A C01l spring 18 may be interposed between the top of the side bar and the head 16 so as to hold the vertical shaft yieldably in proper position, although the shaft is free to turn freely about a vertical axis.

Rigid with each of the vertical shafts l5 and projecting rearwardly therefrom is an arm 19, said arms being connected by the diagonal links 20 to an intermediate portion ofthe spindle arm connecting rod 7. These links 20 are pivotally connected to the said spindle arm connecting rod 7 at 21 and in a similar manner are pivotally connected to the respective arms 19 as indicated at 22.

In the present in VVith this construction it will be obvious that the two lamps 18 will both turn simultaneously with the front wheels A and in the same direction 'as the front wheels when the machine is turned either to the right or to the left.

Secured to the back of each of the lamps 1 1 is a socket plate 23 which loosely receives a ball 24 at the forward end of a rod 25. One of these rods 25 extends rearwardly from each of the lamps 11 and the rear ends thereof are pivotally connected to downwardly extending crank arms 26 at opposite ends of a horizontally disposed rock shaft 27. This rock shaft 27 is shown as journaled upon bearing brackets 28 projecting forwardly from the dash board 29. Projecting upwardly from the rock shaft 27 and rigid therewith is an arm 30, said arm being connected by a link 31 which passes through the dash board 29 to an operating lever 32 arranged in such a position as to be readily grasped by the driver of the machine. The usual latch means 33 may be provided for holding the operating lever 32 in an adjusted position, and it will be obvious that by suitably manipulating this lever the rock shaft 27 may be rotated and motion transmitted to the lamps 11 so as to swing the lamps up and down and either cause the light to be projected straight forward in advance of the machine or thrown down at a sharp angle upon the road immediatelyin front of the machine. The lamps could thus be quickly tilted forward. at any time so as to prevent them from having a blinding effect upon the driver of a machinemoving in the opposite direction.

A slight modification is shown by Fig. 6 in which the rock shaft 27 is shown as mounted back of the dashboard 29 and under the floor boards 40. Suitable bearing brackets 28 project rearwardly from the dashboard 29 at the bottom thereof and have the rock shaft 27 journaled therein. This rock shaft is formed with the downwardly projecting crank arms 26 to which the rear ends of the rods 25 are connected. An arm 30 projects upwardly from the rock shaft 27 and is connected by a link 31 to the lower end of a hand lever 32 which is pivoted at an intermediate point in its length as indicated at 42. When this hand lever 32 is pulled rearward, as indicated by full lines upon Fig. 6, the lamps ll are in an upright position so as to project a light straight ahead, although when the hand lever is pushed forward, is indicated by dotted lines, the lamps 12 are tilted forward so as to throw the light down at a sharp angle upon the road immediately in front of the machine. When applying the invention to many forms of machines it will be found more satisfactory to place the rock shaft at the rear of the dashboard, as indi- 1,1s3,es1

cated by Fig. 6, than to place it at the front of the dashboard, as shown by the remaining figures.

Having thus described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- Patent, is-:

l. A dirigible lamp for motor vehiclesineluding a lamp, a standard carrying the lamp, a vertical shaft journaled upon the motor vehicle so as to turn about a vertical axis and having the standard hingedly connected thereto so as to swing about a horizontal axis, means for rotating the vertical shaft to turn the lamp laterally, a socket plate applied to the lamp, a rod terminating in a ball engaged by the. socket plate, and means for manipulating the rod to tilt the lamp vertically.

2. A dirigible lamp for motor vehicles including a lamp, a standard'carrying the lamp, a vertical shaft journaled upon the motor vehicle so as to turn about a vertical axis and having the standard hinged thereto so as to swing about a horizontal axis, means. for rotating the vertical shaft to swing the lamp laterally, a socket plate applied to the back of the lamp, a rock shaft upon the dash board of the vehicle, a crank arm projecting from the rock shaft, a rod having one end thereof connected to the crank armwhile the opposite end thereof terminates in a ballloosely engaged by the socket plate of the lamp, and means for operating the rock shaft to tilt the. lamp verticall p 3. A dirigible lamp for motor vehicles including a pair of lamps, a standard carrying each lamp, a vertical shaft for each lamp, said vertical shafts being journaled upon the motor vehicle so as to turn about a vertical axis and havingthe respective standards hingedlyconnected thereto so as to swing about a horizontal axis, means for rotating the vertical shafts to swing the lamps laterally, a rock shaft journaled upon the front of the dashboard of the vehicle, crank arms projecting from the rock shaft, forwardly extending rods connected to the said crank arms and-terminating in balls,

socket plates engaging the balls and applied to the lamps, an operating lever, and an operative connection between the said lever and the rock shaft for simultaneously swinging both of the lamps vertically.

4. A dirigible lamp for motor vehicles including a pair of lamps, a standard carrying each lamp, a vertical shaft for each standard, said vertical shafts being journaled upon the motor vehicle so as to each turn about a vertical axis and having the 2 corresponding standards hingedly connected thereto so as to "turn about a horizontal axis, lateral arms projecting from the vertical shafts, link members connecting the lateral arms to the spindle arm connecting '1 rod of the vehicle to automatically turn the shaft for simultaneously tilting both of the lamps when the front wheels are turned to lamps vertically. the right or to the left, a rock shaft upon In testimony whereof we aflix our signa the dashboard of the vehicle, crank arms tures in presence of two witnesses.

5 projecting from the rock shaft, forwardly LEE C. THOMPSON. extendmg rods connected to the crank arms and terminating in balls, socket plates JAMES GARRIS' loosely receiving the balls and applied to the Witnesses:

lamps, an operating lever, and an operative E. A. COLLINS,

10 connection between the lever and the rock WM. L. SCOTT. 

